Although
Japanse fashion house Sacai has been on the style radar since the brand’s birth
in 1999, it has been a well kept secret of the sartorial cognescenti. That was
of course until Paris Fashion Week when the brand “graduated from underground
to unmissable” in the words of Lisa
Armstrong, fashion editor at the Telegraph. Get set for this
brand to become a household name in fashion.

Designer
Chitose Abe (pronounce it Chitosay Abay) has been at the helm of what ‘till now
was an undiscovered style gem for the past 15 years, having previously cut her
cloth at Commes De Garcons with Junya Watanabe before deciding to head out on
her own. Abe is a real designer’s designer and her mastery with clothes is
evident in her most recent collection which features tweeds, leather, Mongolian
sheepskin, cashmere and wool. Injecting an element of style and real
ingeniousness Abe’s garments seemingly morph from one thing to another. What
looks like a skirt in the front is revealed to be culottes in the back. The
cashmere jumpers and cardigans are enhanced with delicate and feminine sunray
chiffon pleats at the back.

The
Japanese fashion aesthetic, a fusion of utilitarianism
with youthful cool, that Abe and her peers Junya Watanabe and Rei Kawakubo
possess in seemly limitless supply is, I feel, as massively influential to
fashion globally as ever, despite Swedish brands being tipped as ones-to-watch this
year. Sacai Autumn/Winter 2014 managed to mesh perfectly the “wow” of the
showpiece with wear-ability and versatility factors, important in times
when sustainability and longevity are vital. The leather and sheepskin coats
were particularly lust-worthy items, and the tartan-print chiffon pleated
skirts where a nice alternative to the wool-blend body-con versions seen this
winter.

STYLE NOTES: WE SPY SACAI

Autumn/Winter 2014 Sacai collection

Although
Japanse fashion house Sacai has been on the style radar since the brand’s birth
in 1999, it has been a well kept secret of the sartorial cognescenti. That was
of course until Paris Fashion Week when the brand “graduated from underground
to unmissable” in the words of Lisa
Armstrong, fashion editor at the Telegraph. Get set for this
brand to become a household name in fashion.

Designer
Chitose Abe (pronounce it Chitosay Abay) has been at the helm of what ‘till now
was an undiscovered style gem for the past 15 years, having previously cut her
cloth at Commes De Garcons with Junya Watanabe before deciding to head out on
her own. Abe is a real designer’s designer and her mastery with clothes is
evident in her most recent collection which features tweeds, leather, Mongolian
sheepskin, cashmere and wool. Injecting an element of style and real
ingeniousness Abe’s garments seemingly morph from one thing to another. What
looks like a skirt in the front is revealed to be culottes in the back. The
cashmere jumpers and cardigans are enhanced with delicate and feminine sunray
chiffon pleats at the back.

The
Japanese fashion aesthetic, a fusion of utilitarianism
with youthful cool, that Abe and her peers Junya Watanabe and Rei Kawakubo
possess in seemly limitless supply is, I feel, as massively influential to
fashion globally as ever, despite Swedish brands being tipped as ones-to-watch this
year. Sacai Autumn/Winter 2014 managed to mesh perfectly the “wow” of the
showpiece with wear-ability and versatility factors, important in times
when sustainability and longevity are vital. The leather and sheepskin coats
were particularly lust-worthy items, and the tartan-print chiffon pleated
skirts where a nice alternative to the wool-blend body-con versions seen this
winter.